1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fiber optics device obtained by bonding a plurality of optical assemblies, each having bundled optical fibers and a predetermined image trasmitting direction and the image transmitting directions of them are different from each other.
2. Related Background Art
A fiber optics assembly in which a large number of optical fibers are integrated by bundling is used as an optical image transmitting means. In such a fiber optics assembly, the incident and exit directions of an image to be transmitted must sometimes be different from each other depending on applications. In this case, fiber optics assemblies having different image transmitting directions (fiber optics assemblies in which the optical fibers of the constituent elements have different image transmitting directions) may be bonded to each other. However, an optical loss occurs in the bonding portion, and accordingly it is not easy to transmit an image efficiently.
As a device obtained by bonding two optical assemblies, the optical fibers of which have different optical axes, one described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,402,000 is known. U.S. Pat. No. 3,402,000 discloses an assembly as shown in FIG. 1, in which a first assembly A having an exit surface inclined with respect to the direction of an optical axis of the optical fibers and a second assembly B having an incident surface perpendicular to the direction of the optical axis of the optical fibers are optically bonded to each other. A third assembly E is interposed between an exit surface C of the first assembly A and an incident surface D of the second assembly B to improve the optical transmitting characteristics from the first assembly A to the second assembly B. This reference also discloses an assembly as shown in FIG. 2, in which the end faces of optical fibers exposed to an exit surface C of a first assembly A are cut in the same direction to form the exit surface C as a saw-toothed three-dimensional surface, so that the optical transmitting characteristics from the first assembly A to a second assembly B are improved. This reference also discloses an assembly as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in which a assembly F having a surface formed with a large number of V-shaped grooves is interposed between an exit surface C of a first assembly A and an incident surface D of a second assembly B to improve the optical transmitting characteristics from the first assembly A to the second assembly B.